Planning to buy a 16713...what do you think? Any advice/comment welcome!

[gila]

I have been looking to buy a 16713 root beer for a while now and I finally found one that I really like (pictures attached)

It seems legit to me after having examined it first hand. It is supposed to be unpolished and, while the condition of most of the case seems to confirm that statement (dents/scratches but also quite sharp edges all around), the crown guards are incredibly more rounded and not as sharp as the rest of the case/bracelet.

What do you guys think? Have you ever seen a non-polished case that gets softer/rounder only around the crown guards?
What about the rest of the watch? Anything (else) that looks weird to you?

Thanks in advance!

[vintagewatch]

The case appears to be polished, especially around the crown guards. The band is also polished. The bezel insert from 6-18 should be gold (yellow) in color not silver, so it's faded. My guess is the watch was new around 2000, so twenty years of wear makes the above mentioned normal.

[gila]

Thanks!
Re: case, that was my suspicion as well. What I find interesting is that it is sold as never polished and the seller stood by that statement even after I mentioned the crown guards (which are very different than the rest of the case).

The other flag I am investigating, but I would love some insights from more seasoned vintage buyers out here, is that the clasp has code MA (which is circa 2005) and the bracelet is a 78793 with 401b end links.
Now, given the watch is a 1994 specimen, I understand that it could have been produced during a transition phase and so the 78793 bracelet might actually be original (given it still uses non SEL endlinks as well)...but the clasp is definitely not (unless I am missing something here)

Any more thoughts?

[fskywalker]

Looks good overall; if the price is reasonable seems to be a good specimen to buy and wear


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[gila]

The price at the moment seems to be reflecting the seller's statements that this is an untouched/unpolished, all original set...but it doesn't seem so (authentic yes, original no...the clasp is definitely 10years older than the rest and not a service part).

Nevertheless, if I can adjust the price, I will actually go for it as I really like it.

[DoctorA]

Originally Posted by gila

The price at the moment seems to be reflecting the seller's statements that this is an untouched/unpolished, all original set...but it doesn't seem so (authentic yes, original no...the clasp is definitely 10years older than the rest and not a service part).

Nevertheless, if I can adjust the price, I will actually go for it as I really like it.

There are so many other fish in the sea!
If it doesn’t feel right to you, pass and keep looking